The recent CPO & Executive Virtual Series with Productiv, brought together industry experts to discuss critical topics in the world of procurement. Three keynote speakers, Amit Nath, IT Procurement Global Leader from American Honda Motor Company, Inc.; Dan Edwards, Procurement Director from Park National Bank; and Aashish Chandarana, Chief Information Officer of Productiv, shared valuable insights that shed light on the future of IT strategic sourcing, the significance of mentorship, and the latest SaaS trends in 2023.
Keynote Discussion on IT Strategic Sourcing - Amit Nath
Amit Nath, the IT Procurement Global Leader at American Honda Motor Company, Inc., began the keynote discussion by providing an overview of Honda's illustrious history. Having sold over 28 million units worldwide, generating a remarkable $132 billion in revenue, Honda has firmly established itself as an automotive industry leader.
Focusing on IT, Amit highlighted the company's vision to achieve fully autonomous products by 2026, underpinned by a $6 billion management portfolio. He also shared insights into Honda's evolution of the source-to-contract value chain process, which started as a 3-step process and has since grown to an impressive 7-step approach.
Beyond cost savings, Honda's procurement strategy centers on transformation and procurement excellence. Speed to market and ease of use are crucial factors for the company's North American operations, and they leverage a global procurement approach with a focus on awareness, investigation, and standardization.
In the recent May CPO & Executive Virtual Series hosted by SIG, we had the pleasure of welcoming esteemed speakers: Michael Koontz, Vice President of Strategic Sourcing & Business Leader at ATD Sourcing Solutions; Ruy Martins, Plant and Supply Chain Director at Urgo Medical; and Oren Salzman, Chief Procurement Officer at MetTel. The event was filled with engaging discussions and thought-provoking takeaways. Let's dive into the highlights!
Evolving Sourcing Strategies
Kicking off the day, Michael Koontz started the day with his insightful keynote presentation. He emphasized the need to think beyond contracts and understand the bigger picture of the business. Being at the decision-making table requires aligning with the company's vision and continuously educating ourselves. Plus, he shared some cool insights on using AI tools to make our sourcing processes more streamlined and efficient.
Transforming Traditional Purchasing
Next up, Ruy Martins took us on a journey of transforming traditional purchasing into strategic sourcing. He stressed the importance of taking a proactive approach, where strategy drives the company rather than being solely controlled by supply and demand. It was all about embracing Integrated Business Planning (IBP) and empowering the business to adapt and thrive. We were definitely inspired to think differently!
Unlocking Value and Streamlining Operations
Our last speaker, Oren Salzman, gave us a sneak peek into the world of MetTel. He shared invaluable insights on delivering value and going the extra mile. Oren emphasized the significance of creating a diverse environment that allows businesses to operate smoothly and optimize opportunities. We also dove into streamlining negotiation timelines, uncovering ways to make our processes more efficient. Who doesn't love a bit of optimization?
Recently, SIG had the pleasure of hosting ProcureAbility experts David Latten of Logitech, Chris Shaffer of EyeCare Partners and Adrian Dragomir of REI for the December CPO & Executive Virtual Series. It was a very engaging discussion with many thought-provoking takeaways. Let's get into it!
David Latten, Head of Procurement and Supplier Diversity & Equality at Logitech International, opened the day by discussing his organization's supplier diversity initiatives. Logitech refreshed the program in 2020 and has since expanded exponentially. For example, previously, Logitech had no Black-owned businesses within its supply chain. and have since vastly grown their vendor base to include more diverse suppliers. Logitech has a goal of having a world-class supplier diversity program in place by 2026. As he stated, " Logitech's core value is equality, and your suppliers should reflect that".
Adrian Dragomir, Head of Procurement at REI Inc., was next to present as he looked at how layoffs have affected his team, the challenges of balancing the new players in the company and how to interact with them. Adrian's approach is to let partners know that they exist to help you, not here to do your job. He then discussed how his team is now like "wolves on prey" after adjusting to the changes. Finally, he explained why it is important to take into consideration all aspects of a company when making decisions related to staffing and personnel changes. When it comes to talent, Adrian says the most important thing for his team members is to get the job done.
Chris Shaffer, Sr. Director Procurement, Facilities & Biomedical Support at EyeCare Partners, closed the discussion by outlining his team's goals for 2023. He listed them out as:
Preparing for the challenges on the horizon with a host of resources to get a jump start on 2023!
A Flexible (and Fast!) Way to Get Certified Now
Did you miss our 2022 open cohort start dates? We have fast-track and self-paced options for all programs if open cohort semester timings do not work for your schedule! Have a large group from your organization interested in taking the program together? We also offer closed cohorts for groups of 20 or more that can start when it is best suitable for your team, and volume discounts are available!
Join Dylan Alperin, Head of Professional Services, Keelvar and Magnus Bergfors, Director of Product Marketing, Keelvar as they discuss the rise of the automation revolution and CPO insights and 2023 priorities Keelvar’s 2023 Voices of Sourcing Survey.
Supplier.io’s 5th State of Supplier Diversity Report revealed big changes in the primary drivers of supplier diversity. More and more companies see programs as a core component of their company culture, and executive and board support is at an all-time high.
Recently, SIG had the pleasure of hosting ProcureAbility experts Conrad Snover and Darshan Deshmukh for the December CPO & Executive Virtual Series. It was a very engaging discussion, with many thought-provoking takeaways. Let’s get into it!
Conrad, CEO at ProcureAbility, kicked off the exclusive event by explaining the team's research methodology. ProcureAbility regularly conducts research to identify future-looking trends and innovations in procurement. Their in-depth process for identifying the five bold predictions for 2030 consisted of a team of experts who hypothesized on emerging trends and then conducted in-depth research to validate that analysis. The team formulated their predictions for procurement in 2030 based on that data. Then finally, they surveyed CPOs to get feedback on those predictions, which led us to procurement on the brink of transformation.
ProcureAbility's Five Bold Predictions for the Future of Procurement
Preparing for the challenges on the horizon with a host of resources to get a jump start on 2023!
December CPO & Executive Virtual Series
SIG's CPO & Executive Virtual Series is an opportunity for the most senior procurement executives to gather with their peers in an interactive virtual environment to discuss their most pressing issues. On December 7, don't miss ProcureAbility leaders Darshan Deshmukh and Conrad Snover as they explore 5 bold predictions for #procurement in 2030!
Join us for this collaborative and very personal conversation!
Join Coupa Software experts Ayush Sharma and Dr. Jeffery Collins on the challenges of sourcing in the current inflationary environment—and what's coming in 2023!
Supplier.io’s 5th State of Supplier Diversity Report revealed big changes in the primary drivers of supplier diversity. More and more companies see programs as a core component of their company culture, and executive and board support is at an all-time high.
With inflation challenges and a looming recession, we have the resources procurement leaders need to get a jump start on 2023!
November Microlearning Event
On November 9, Angela Easterwood from Majel Partners and Elizabeth Zucker from The Hackett Group, will share how flawless category management can be leveraged to address today’s dynamic sourcing challenges.
Join your sourcing, procurement, and risk management colleagues in this two-hour interactive virtual environment to be challenged with topics related to our industries!
SIG's Northeastern Regional SIGnature event is almost here! The event will take place in Toronto, CA and includes a fantastic agenda with some of the best thought leaders in the industry. The day will include an Executive Roundtable, General Session Speakers (offering training and practical, implementable tools), CPO Presentations, Analyst Overviews, SIG Talks and close with a networking happy hour.
Join us for this great day of networking and learning!
Join LogicSource, Inc. and OneMarket's Jo Seed, Marissa Lindquist and Mark Flowers as they discuss the untapped value of an organization's data and empowering procurement teams!
As procurement leaders continue to navigate varying crises of 2022, we have a host of events and resources on deck to keep your team at the forefront of best practices!
Global Executive Summit
Prepare yourself and your team for the future of sourcing at the SIG PGlobal Executive Summit October 17-19, 2022!
Get ready for amazing keynote sessions, a chance to engage and learn from the brightest industry experts, speed networking, and experience live solution deep-dives from best-in-class providers. Registration is open now!
SIG's Western Regional SIGnature event is almost here! The event will take place in Bellevue, WA and includes a fantastic agenda with some of the best thought leaders in the industry. The day will include an Executive Roundtable, General Session Speakers (offering training and practical, implementable tools), CPO Presentations, Analyst Overviews, SIG Talks and close with a networking happy hour.
Join us for this great day of networking and learning!
Recently, SIG had the pleasure of hosting AArete experts Tyler Higgins, Gaurav Joshi and John Marchisin and Duane Elmore, Chief Procurement Officer at The Pennsylvania State University for the July CPO & Executive Virtual Series. It was a very engaging discussion that lasted nearly two hours with tons of excellent takeaways. Let’s get into it!
Adapting Your Supply Chain for Diversity and Sustainability
The team kicked off the day discussing what has driven the rise of corporate ESG priorities. There are seven areas that they highlighted to explain this increase:
Company Culture
Employee Engagement
Investor Activism
Policy & Regulation
Access to Capital
Financial Benefits
Consumer Demand
These competing priorities oftentimes lead to many different approaches to accomplishing ESG initiatives. The Aarete team then walked through different approaches and experiences of ESG initiatives. They also shared successful diversity & sustainability programs. From Starbucks to The University of Penn, there are numerous ways to have success.
How to Transform the Buying Process
Companies across all industries are setting ESG goals, and procurement leaders are at the forefront of executing those goals. Procurement leaders must balance these goals along with supply chain continuity during an inflationary environment. Having a ESG framework and a supplier diversity strategy is fundamental to transforming the buying process. Most organizations are challenged to find the right suppliers that can meet sustainability and supplier diversity goals. By incorporating KPIs for procurement, suppliers and adoption, you set the ESG goals up for long-term success.
As procurement leaders continue to navigate varying crises of 2022, we have a host of events and resources on deck to keep your team at the forefront of best practices!
August Microlearning Event
SIG's On May 18, TD Bank experts, Associate Vice President Michele Wesseling and Head of Cyber Controls Testing Neha Mudalgikar, as they explore cyber risk in today's constantly evolving landscape.
Join your sourcing, procurement, and risk management colleagues in this two-hour interactive virtual environment to be challenged with topics related to our industries!
Prepare yourself and your team for the future of sourcing at the SIG PGlobal Executive Summit October 17-19, 2022!
Get ready for amazing keynote sessions, a chance to engage and learn from the brightest industry experts, speed networking, and experience live solution deep-dives from best-in-class providers. Registration is open now!
SIG's Western Regional SIGnature event is almost here! The event will take place in Bellevue, WA and includes a fantastic agenda with some of the best thought leaders in the industry. The day will include an Executive Roundtable, General Session Speakers (offering training and practical, implementable tools), CPO Presentations, Analyst Overviews, SIG Talks and close with a networking happy hour.
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 (1).png?DrOGWL5AV_Ba0f1ovUHFtazaPm5d1WkJ= "Recap of February CPO & Executive Virtual Series")
 (1).png?ZkUSeAPoMp6ByWsuvcmzjepeeFra4zPF= "This Month at SIG – January 2023")
 (1).png?urXsitXC_CHk6ZZl1UsH7oXFUCKW2qcu= "Recap of CPO & Executive Virtual Series with ProcureAbility")
 (1).png?h_ZnBu6oqjVMgLMBxzxox914Xi_Q6Okc= "This Month at SIG – December 2022")
 (1).png?FgirnGL9lmn5UuWbXcZ9cl_qOID_W7Cw= "This Month at SIG – November 2022")
 (1).png?kwTJYb5PtRI2k3uQkaehcL4zkwF7SQhj= "This Month at SIG – September 2022")
 (1).png?P4ZAw4JyNp6kOhiZrL8AE0hQxRg4k2Bs= "Recap of CPO & Executive Virtual Series with Aarete")
 (1).png?quS24NA3sdWwiwHAf_2GR7g4O0vMwm_q= "This Month at SIG – August 2022")
Recap of CPO & Executive Virtual Series with Productiv
The recent CPO & Executive Virtual Series with Productiv, brought together industry experts to discuss critical topics in the world of procurement. Three keynote speakers, Amit Nath, IT Procurement Global Leader from American Honda Motor Company, Inc.; Dan Edwards, Procurement Director from Park National Bank; and Aashish Chandarana, Chief Information Officer of Productiv, shared valuable insights that shed light on the future of IT strategic sourcing, the significance of mentorship, and the latest SaaS trends in 2023.
Keynote Discussion on IT Strategic Sourcing - Amit Nath
Amit Nath, the IT Procurement Global Leader at American Honda Motor Company, Inc., began the keynote discussion by providing an overview of Honda's illustrious history. Having sold over 28 million units worldwide, generating a remarkable $132 billion in revenue, Honda has firmly established itself as an automotive industry leader.
Focusing on IT, Amit highlighted the company's vision to achieve fully autonomous products by 2026, underpinned by a $6 billion management portfolio. He also shared insights into Honda's evolution of the source-to-contract value chain process, which started as a 3-step process and has since grown to an impressive 7-step approach.
Beyond cost savings, Honda's procurement strategy centers on transformation and procurement excellence. Speed to market and ease of use are crucial factors for the company's North American operations, and they leverage a global procurement approach with a focus on awareness, investigation, and standardization.